


False Starts

by ddagent



Series: The 'Partners' Collection [5]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Academy Era, Coitus Interruptus, F/M, Friendship, Making Out, Pre-Series, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-18
Updated: 2015-12-18
Packaged: 2018-05-07 11:41:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5455256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ddagent/pseuds/ddagent
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After their first kiss, Phil and Melinda try to progress their relationship. An alternate scene from 'Partners'.</p>
            </blockquote>





	False Starts

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Agents of SHIELD or any of its characters, or settings - all belongs to Marvel and ABC.
> 
> When writing 'Partners’, there was a lot of extra material that never made it to the final story. Deleted scenes, alternate scenes…entire alternate chapters. After talking on Tumblr, I decided to have a 'Twelve Days of Partners’ celebration. For the twelve days before Christmas, I will post a deleted or alternate scene from Partners that would have otherwise been left to rot in my archives. I hope you enjoy the festive season, and the little bit of pre-series joy every day! :D
> 
> 'False Starts' is a scene from an alternate chapter six. After posting chapter five, I went through several ideas about how to pick up the thread of this story. One was that Phil and Melinda had trouble having sex, constantly getting interrupted. This story is from that idea. I can't remember why I passed on this idea originally, but as the months went by my views about where I wanted the story to end up changed. I love this as its fun and sexy, and I hope you enjoy it too.

 

They made it through another couple of hours, both of them lying on her bed with their books spread out like an after school study session. As Melinda finished Copeland and dug around her bag for the articles she’d read, she realised this was the first time she’d had a boy (other than Clint) in her bedroom for something other than sex. Sure, they _had_ come back to her dorm room with that in mind. But now they were just happy studying, elbows knocking occasionally as they scribbled down the relevant notes for their Critical Thinking exam.

 

“Could I borrow Copeland?” Phil asked; Melinda handing over the book immediately. “Thanks. He’s one of your only theorists I can get behind.”

 

“Knew you had to have _some_ sense in there.”

 

Phil laughed before turning back to the books. Melinda, however, sat up; resting on one elbow as she took a quick study break. Her partner was hard at work, staring intently at the printed page in front of him. He was so cute when he concentrated. Especially the way he tapped a pencil against the corner of his mouth. His tongue slipped out, moistening his lips. Melinda remembered quite vividly how those lips had felt against her own.

 

“You okay? Did you want Copeland back?” Phil asked, having noticed that she wasn’t working on her own study materials.

 

She shook her head, happy to lean back and watch him for a little while longer. Cheeks turning a little pink, Phil returned to Copeland. He was on edge now; looking out the corner of his eye for any movement. Melinda just sat, hand cupping her jaw, watching Phil try to study. His concentration seemed to be shot, although he was desperately trying to get it back. His blush was steadily reddening, and Melinda let out a chuckle as Phil started to rub the back of his neck.

 

Eventually Phil gave up, collapsing to her bed sheets and staring up at her. “Okay, what’s up? What did I do?”

 

Melinda moved across the small space of her bed; hand reaching for Phil’s shoulder. She pulled herself across him, her legs moving to straddle his. Phil swallowed, his face caught between utter delight and surprise. Melinda liked that she’d been able to cause that. “I was wondering if you wanted a study break?” Her finger ran down the length of his t-shirt, stopping at the hem. “You’ve been working so hard, Phil, you deserve one.”

 

“I have been working hard. My eyes are sore. You know, from all the reading.”

 

Smiling, Melinda leant down and pressed her mouth lightly against his. Her tongue traced the crease of his mouth; teasing him, torturing him with her intentions. Melinda felt his hands slip up her back; warm and firm against her skin. She continued to kiss him, pausing to sigh as she felt his palms meet bare skin. This was certainly a lot better than the first time they’d tried this.

 

Pulling away, Melinda took his hands from the small of her back and moved them to her hips; encouraging them to take the hem of her shirt. Phil grinned, his eyes bright, as he began to undress her.

 

Then came the pounding at the door. _“Melinda! Are you in there?”_

Phil gritted his teeth, fingers barely making it past her belly button. “She’ll go away.”

 

“No, she won’t.” Cursing Maria and the rest of the Hill family, Melinda climbed off Phil and went to the door. Quickly finger brushing her hair, Melinda tugged it open a couple of inches. “Maria. Everything okay?”  

 

“You tell me! Martinez said she saw you and Coulson leave the library looking for the nearest hard surface.” Maria barged past Melinda, intent on coming in and staying in. “You send him packing with his pants around his ankles?” A pause. “Obviously not.”

 

Melinda closed the door behind Hurricane Maria, resting her back against it before surveying the scene. A typical hook up consisted of sex, then a couple of awkward beats where they either discussed a joint shower or Melinda kicked them out. This was new territory, and the look of surprise on Maria’s face suggested that it was for both of them.

 

“Hi, Hill,” Phil greeted with a wave of his hand, text book in his lap. “We’re just studying for Critical Thinking.”

 

Maria nodded, eyeing the text book Phil was holding with interest. “I’m sure you were.”

 

“So, _what’s up_ , Maria?” Melinda asked from the door. “After all, me and Phil have to get back to… _studying._ ”

 

Phil flushed pink from the bed, and Maria just grinned. “Well, I’m afraid you’re going to have to put _studying_ on hold, because Clint is playing Robin Hood with the freshmen and you need to be in attendance.”

 

“Seriously? Again?” Melinda groaned, leaving her position by the door to find her shoes. Whatever was going on between her and Phil would have to wait until the show was over. Looking over to her partner, she saw Phil waiting patiently for an explanation. “You’ll want to see this, believe me.”

 

\--

 

It didn’t take them long to leave the dorm rooms and be on the path heading for the forest. Phil had tried to pack his books and notes in his bag before they left, but Melinda had stopped him. As her fingers brushed his, their eyes had met. _They were going to finish what they started._ Now on their way to find Clint, her new partner walked a few paces ahead, leaving Maria and Melinda just out of earshot.

 

“Okay, you need to talk to me _right now,_ ” Maria said, gripping Melinda’s arm as they walked. “Were you actually studying?”

 

“Phil’s my partner, we study together.” She’d never studied with Harlow, only with Maria and Clint. It was nice to have a partner that was more than just the physical. “Although we were taking a _break_ when you knocked.”

 

Maria shrugged. “Hey, last time Clint got his bow and arrow out, you interrupted me with Stevens _and_ Clare. So consider this payback. What’s he like?”

 

“We didn’t get that far. Our first attempt was a little…rocky.”

 

“What happened?”

 

“My knee connected with her stomach.” Phil looked over his shoulder before turning around fully, waiting for them both to catch up. “I had the decency to walk ahead; you two could at least have the decency to whisper.”

 

Melinda and Maria laughed. As they joined with Phil, Maria elbowed him in the side. “I don’t know, Melinda. I don’t think I like this new partner of yours. I think he talks too much.”

 

She laughed again. Phil beamed at her. “Don’t worry. I think I can fix that.”

 

The remainder of their trip was spent in laughter. Maria regaled Phil with her interpretation of what went down with Garrett; Phil throwing in a few choice details of his four year ‘friendship’ with the other cadet. Melinda stayed quiet; just happy to see them getting along. Phil seemed lonely. He was friendly with everyone, but didn’t seem to have friendships as strong as what she had with Maria and Clint. She wanted him to be happy. She didn’t want him to be alone.  

 

Eventually they made it to the clearing. Clint was there, bow and arrow in hand. They’d had an Archery Elective in their first year and Clint found himself unusually adept at the practice. He preferred the bow to guns; to most conventional weapons. He could use them okay, but they didn’t have the precision of the bow. _As he was now about to demonstrate._ There were three freshmen tied to three trees, each with an apple atop their heads. A small crowd of seniors had gathered to watch Clint’s performance.  

 

“Is he serious?” Phil asked as they joined the group. “He could hurt someone.”

 

Maria shrugged. “They’re only freshmen. If they’ve lasted this long then this won’t scare them.”

 

Phil still looked concerned, so Melinda reached down to squeeze his hand. “Clint’s an excellent marksman. Believe me; this is going to be amazing.”

 

Clint bowed to the crowd, making a big show of the demonstration. The bow he was using was custom made, commissioned especially for him by the SHIELD instructors. His Weapons exam would be using the bow, so Melinda assumed that if an instructor came by he could explain it away as practice. Clint was a very talented liar; as was she. They had to be to get away with all the pranks they’d pulled over the years.

 

“Ladies and Gentleman, my beloved friends, may I present this afternoon’s entertainment: Freshmen in a Barrel.”

 

Clint laced up his first arrow, pulling the bow taut. Melinda had watched him do this a hundred times. She knew his senses were better than most, even with his loss of hearing. He could be staring at a pretty girl in the crowd and still hit the apple. But for his first attempt he looked the freshman straight in the eye and let go. Phil’s grip on her hand tightened in that moment, only relaxing when the metal tip of the arrow sunk into the flesh of the fruit.

 

She hadn’t even realised they were still holding hands.

 

“Nice job, Clint!” Melinda cheered; reluctantly easing her hand away from Phil’s to applaud her friend.

 

As Clint prepared the next arrow, Phil leaned in close. “Nice shot. Is he as good with a gun as he is with a bow?”

 

Melinda shook her head as Clint let the next arrow fly, punching it right through the apple and into the tree. “He can hit the target better than most cadets, but the bow is his weapon of choice. It’s lighter, more accurate if you know what to do with it. Which Clint does.”

 

Phil stayed close as Clint prepared the final arrow. The final freshman looked a little faint, but he _had_ signed up for this. Melinda would love to know what Clint had promised them. She and Maria whistled, encouraging Clint as he took his final stance. He looked over at them, grinning. Melinda knew what was coming. Phil didn’t, and she heard him gasp as Clint released the final arrow without looking. It sunk into the apple with ease.

 

“Your friend is crazy.”

 

“He’s incredible.”

 

With another squeeze of his hand, Melinda left Phil to go talk to Clint. Maria joined her, both of them congratulating their friend on another spectacular performance. Clint hugged them both, arms around their shoulders as he revelled in his success.

 

“Okay, Barton, fess up. What did you give those freshmen?”

 

He shrugged. “Some of the leftover liquor from the stash. They’ll probably need it now.”

 

Melinda laughed, shaking her head at her friend. “Well I think you’ll pass your class with flying colours. Like me and Coulson did in Misrepresentation.”

 

“Seriously?” He raised his hand for a high five. “That’s my girl, always full of surprises.”

 

Melinda laughed, smiling as she thought of how many surprises she’d had in the last week. Her mind, as it was wont to do these days, turned to Phil. Suddenly she felt the need to leave. She could catch up with Clint and Maria tomorrow. Right now there was a very handsome cadet only a few feet away that she wanted to kiss, to touch, to hold.

 

“I’ll talk to you both tomorrow, okay? Drinks in town?”

 

Maria nodded, half listening as she finished her conversation with Clint. “Sure thing. Wait, tomorrow? Not tonight?”

 

Melinda shrugged. “Don’t know what my plans are gonna be.”

 

Grinning at her friends, Melinda walked back to Coulson. She put her hands on his upper arms, running them up and down. “You want to get out of here?”

 

“Absolutely.”

 

Grabbing his hand, Melinda led them out of the clearing and back into the forest. It was like the library all over again, but this time everything was real. All the intentions, all the desire…it was _real._ Phil stayed close; the hand brushing hers a teasing reminder of everything she had planned once they got back to her dorm room. Eventually it got too much and Melinda turned, taking two handfuls of Phil’s shirt and pushing him up against the nearest tree. Anyone could walk past but Melinda didn’t care. She needed to kiss him right that second.

 

And she did.

 

Her hands slammed against the bark beside his head, her body pressing firmly against his. Phil’s lips were hot, passionate, moving indecently against her mouth as he tried to kiss her deeper, harder. Her fingers gripped the neck of his t-shirt, then buried in his hair. Nails scraped along his scalp, encouraging a low moan from the back of his throat. Melinda paused to breathe, Phil taking the opportunity to kiss her neck, her jaw. His lips found that spot behind her ear and she slammed him harder against the wood.

 

“I kissed you there yesterday,” Phil gasped, breathless. “You’re not ticklish, are you? I can stop.”

 

Melinda shook her head, fingers still threading their way through his hair. “ _No_. It’s a…hotspot. Yesterday, on _assignment,_ you were turning me on.”

 

“ _Melinda._ ”

 

His lips returned to that spot in fervour. She sunk into his touch, needing more of it. This was too public for where they were heading. They needed to go somewhere with a bed, somewhere where they could finally do all this but naked.

 

“We should go back and _study,_ ” Melinda said, teeth teasing his earlobe.

 

Phil nodded, releasing her. His hair was mused, his eyes dark. Melinda was going to have so much fun taking him apart. Smiling, she gestured for Phil to step onwards. The sooner they were back in her room, the less dressed they could be. In his eagerness, though, Phil stepped on the wrong square of forest. Melinda saw his shoes go out from under him; his ass hitting the forest floor and sliding into a muddy puddle from last night’s rain.

 

Her partner groaned; his t-shirt and jeans soaked through with rain water and mud and fallen leaves. He raised a hand and left a muddy imprint on his face. Her bedroom would have to wait. Phil needed a hot shower and a change of clothes. At this rate, they were _never_ going to study.


End file.
